Formal and Informal Assessment of Student Learning

Name: Dan Wilson

I. Assignment Description/Requirements

Informal Assessment
Create a species:

Instructions:

• Choose any two organisms

• Cross breed the two organisms

• Show all offspring (draw a picture)

• Must use at least 5 traits

• One must show normal heredity

• One must be incomplete dominance

• One most be co-dominance

• Punnett square must be shown for each of the five traits

Paper

· First paragraph
o Name your new organism
o Explain the two organisms that were crossbred

· Second paragraph
o Explain all new traits
o Explain which traits show normal, co-dominance or incomplete dominance and why/how this trait came to be shown.
· Use terms like homozygous dominant and recessive and heterozygous to describe the traits
· Third paragraph
o Explain how these traits benefits or hurts the organism

Grading:
5 pts picture
5 pts (1 per punnett square)
5 pts per paragraph
5 points quality of work

Formal Assessment
20 Multiple choice questions
2 punnett square problems
3 short answers
1 pedigree chart

II. Description of Learning Goals

The students will be able to use punnett squares to describe the chance of traits being passed from parents to their offspring.

A. Informal Assessment

Create a Species

B. Formal Assessment

Genetics Unit Test

III. Assessments

A. Description of Informal Assessment

The activity is call “Create a Species”. The students have to take any two organisms in the world and pretend to interbreed them to produce an offspring. They must show the punnett squares for at least 5 traits. They must also use to traits that show co-dominance and incomplete dominance. They must then write a paper on their new organism by naming the organism and describing the traits and if they show com-dominance, incomplete dominance or normal heredity.

B. Description of Formal Assessment

The formal assessment is the unit test on the genetics unit. They must use all the knowledge that they have learned to complete the task.

IV. Analysis

A. Description of Class Context

This unit on genetics started with Mendel and his experiments on his pea plants. We used punnett squares to show the chance of traits showing up in an individual. We discussed the heredity of traits and how they get passed through generations in pedigree charts. We then looked at all of this at the cellular level of meiosis. We also proved how some traits are linked to the sex chromosomes. We also looked at numerous genetic disorders and how genetic disorders occur.

B. Analysis of Informal Assessment

Males: 85% Females: 85% all students 85%

C. Analysis of Formal Assessment

Males: 74% Females: 76% all students 75%

V. Commentary / Reflection

A. Reflections from Informal Assessment

With the informal assessment the average grade for all of my students was an 85. When looking at this grade it looks to be on the high side, but the amount of information that I the teacher received from this assignment was great. At this point I learned of many more misconceptions that some of the students still had as well as what their thought process was while working on this assignment.

B. Reflections from Formal Assessment

The formal assessment was the end of the unit test on genetics. The average of all of my students was a 75. I was extremely pleased with my results of this exam. It was challenging and covered all the material that was taught throughout the unit. I also gave them many opportunities to succeed on this exam by allowing them to choose the short answer questions that they felt the most confident answering.

VI. Conclusions

While looking at the informal assessment to the formal assessment I am very happy. After the informal the students really took to heart all of the feedback in which was given on their assignment. When it came time for the formal assessment the student used the information that I gave to them and applied it to fix their misunderstanding of the material and exceeded on this section of the formal assessment.